At the end, a genuinely spine-tingling moment. Old Trafford stood to applaud the players they believe will be this season’s champions. The men in blue.
Not the whole ground, of course. Plenty had left before the end, plenty more hurried away on the final whistle. Yet the quarter or so who remained — and that’s a sizeable number at Manchester United don’t forget — were sincere in their reaction.
They recognised they had seen a team that did not quit, that did not crack under the immense pressure of leading down this final straight. A team in the image of some that have passed this way before.
With two points required, a game at home to Everton to come next Saturday and Tottenham playing away at Chelsea on Monday night, it seems unthinkable that Leicester will not get over the line.
This was their biggest test, away to a United side straining every sinew to reach the Champions League. And when Leicester began meekly and went behind after eight minutes, it seemed they might fall short, for one day at least. Maybe they would need the odd favour, after all. By the end, though, Leicester returned south with reputations enhanced. United did not play poorly, yet were forced to settle for a draw because Leicester ran them ragged. They equalised quickly, they played without fear and, like all champions, rode their luck at crucial moments.
The woodwork thwarted Chris Smalling after 79 minutes, and United may have been denied a penalty when Danny Drinkwater fouled Memphis Depay. Against that, Leicester had a decent penalty shout rejected and Drinkwater paid for his indiscretion with a second yellow card that will keep him out of the Everton game, which may yet be relevant.
If Tottenham win at Stamford Bridge, Leicester will be hoping to wrap it up in their final home game of the season, and Drinkwater’s absence will be felt, as Jamie Vardy’s was here. Leicester missed the outlet Vardy provides, and they will miss Drinkwater’s supply line. Drinkwater to Vardy has been such a crucial combination for them and it will be testament to their resilience if they win the league in a three-game spell in which they have been denied one or the other. Troublingly, there are also implications for Robert Huth.
As has often been the case for United under Louis van Gaal, Marouane Fellaini was largely the best of it. He has strange games — disappointing in the air, yet demonstrating incredibly deft touches to play his way out of a tight spot — but in the first half in particular he was a nuisance. This brought him into contact with Leicester’s own irritant, Huth.
The pair came together waiting for a dead ball, Huth tugging at Fellaini’s hair in the box. The Belgian responded with a sharp elbow to Huth’s face, which could easily have broken his jaw. Huth was the provocateur but Fellaini’s reaction was equally reprehensible and both could face bans. After the Dele Alli and Vardy suspensions, it is hard to see how the FA could do anything else.
Maybe, with Vardy playing, the title race would already be run. Leonardo Ulloa worked hard but Leicester missed Vardy’s threat. Ulloa got into good positions but failed to capitalise, not least late on when he was played in but looked spent. Vardy was waiting at the tunnel to count all his team-mates back. He didn’t appear unhappy but it shows how far Leicester have come that a point at Old Trafford is considered an anti-climax.
Not the whole ground, of course. Plenty had left before the end, plenty more hurried away on the final whistle. Yet the quarter or so who remained — and that’s a sizeable number at Manchester United don’t forget — were sincere in their reaction.
They recognised they had seen a team that did not quit, that did not crack under the immense pressure of leading down this final straight. A team in the image of some that have passed this way before.
With two points required, a game at home to Everton to come next Saturday and Tottenham playing away at Chelsea on Monday night, it seems unthinkable that Leicester will not get over the line.
This was their biggest test, away to a United side straining every sinew to reach the Champions League. And when Leicester began meekly and went behind after eight minutes, it seemed they might fall short, for one day at least. Maybe they would need the odd favour, after all. By the end, though, Leicester returned south with reputations enhanced. United did not play poorly, yet were forced to settle for a draw because Leicester ran them ragged. They equalised quickly, they played without fear and, like all champions, rode their luck at crucial moments.
The woodwork thwarted Chris Smalling after 79 minutes, and United may have been denied a penalty when Danny Drinkwater fouled Memphis Depay. Against that, Leicester had a decent penalty shout rejected and Drinkwater paid for his indiscretion with a second yellow card that will keep him out of the Everton game, which may yet be relevant.
If Tottenham win at Stamford Bridge, Leicester will be hoping to wrap it up in their final home game of the season, and Drinkwater’s absence will be felt, as Jamie Vardy’s was here. Leicester missed the outlet Vardy provides, and they will miss Drinkwater’s supply line. Drinkwater to Vardy has been such a crucial combination for them and it will be testament to their resilience if they win the league in a three-game spell in which they have been denied one or the other. Troublingly, there are also implications for Robert Huth.
As has often been the case for United under Louis van Gaal, Marouane Fellaini was largely the best of it. He has strange games — disappointing in the air, yet demonstrating incredibly deft touches to play his way out of a tight spot — but in the first half in particular he was a nuisance. This brought him into contact with Leicester’s own irritant, Huth.
The pair came together waiting for a dead ball, Huth tugging at Fellaini’s hair in the box. The Belgian responded with a sharp elbow to Huth’s face, which could easily have broken his jaw. Huth was the provocateur but Fellaini’s reaction was equally reprehensible and both could face bans. After the Dele Alli and Vardy suspensions, it is hard to see how the FA could do anything else.
Maybe, with Vardy playing, the title race would already be run. Leonardo Ulloa worked hard but Leicester missed Vardy’s threat. Ulloa got into good positions but failed to capitalise, not least late on when he was played in but looked spent. Vardy was waiting at the tunnel to count all his team-mates back. He didn’t appear unhappy but it shows how far Leicester have come that a point at Old Trafford is considered an anti-climax.
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